Sinking Ship Productions /

The creative collaboration between Jonathan Levin and Josh Luxenberg, Sinking Ship Productions creates original physical, visual theater that asks “What does it mean to be a human in this world?” The work, like the answer to that simple question, is complex, absurd, existential, ephemeral, surreal, surprising, funny, poetic, and strange, grounded in emotional storytelling, the tactile familiarity of objects, and futile humor of being alive. Sinking Ship works with a core group of Associate Artists, combining physical theater, puppetry, music and movement. Productions have grappled with concepts such as the creation and destruction of the universe as imagined by science fiction writers, how a man’s search for connection could ultimately lead to complete isolation, and the limits of human understanding through the search for extra dimensions of space in theoretical physics. Founded in 2008, Sinking Ship’s original works include Cassandra, an Agony, a modern telling of the myth of Cassandra (commissioned by the Getty Museum in L.A.), A Hunger Artist, based on the story by Franz Kafka (premiere at Connelly Theater, 2017, nominated for Drama Desk Awards; UK premiere at Edinburgh Fringe, 2017), Powerhouse, about the idiosyncratic composer Raymond Scott (New Ohio Theatre, O’Neill Playwrights Conference Finalist; New York Times Critic’s Pick), there will come soft rains, a triptych of science fiction stories (FringeNYC, extended at Barrow Street Theater, 2008).

Theater in Quarantine /

Theater in Quarantine is an Obie and Drama League Award-winning digital performance laboratory. Established in response to the pandemic by director, performer, and creative technologist Joshua William Gelb, TiQ has live-streamed dozens of visually distinctive, original works to its YouTube channel, performing out of a closet in the East Village measuring only 8 sq feet. Embracing 21st century solutions to the question “what is “theatrical” TiQ has become a leading practitioner in the emerging field of live-stream digital performance. TiQ has been presented by NYUSkirball, Colgate University, The Invisible Dog, New Georges, A2SF, Theater Mitu, La Mama, CultureHub, UMD, Exponential, CulturalDC, and has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, Japan’s NHK TV, The New Yorker, been a five-time NYTimes Critic’s Pick as well as one of Vulture’s “Top 10 Best Theater Moments of 2020” and the Times’ “Best Theater of 2021.” Upcoming: UNTITLED MINIATURE, presented by HERE Arts Center this March in person and on-line at URHERE. TiQ’s full archive can be found and streamed anytime on their YouTube channel.

Jonathan Levin / Director

Jonathan Levin is a theater director, performer, puppeteer, and the co-Artistic Director of Sinking Ship Productions. Recent directing/co-creation credits include Cassandra: An Agony at the J. Paul Getty Museum, and Footnote for the End of Time (with Theater in Quarantine). Jon co-created and performed A Hunger Artist at the Connelly Theater and on tour, for which he earned two Drama Desk nominations (Outstanding Solo Performance and Outstanding Puppet Design) and was awarded Summerhall’s Lustrum Award for Excellence at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Additional SSP directing credits include Powerhouse at the New Ohio Theatre (NYTimes Critics Pick), Flatland, an EST/Sloan commission, Ocean at Mabou Mines Suite and There Will Come Soft Rains at FringeNYC (Excellence Award for Outstanding Direction). Jon is also a founding member of the Krumple Theatre company, with which he has co-directed and performed work throughout Norway and in NYC since 2014. As a puppeteer, Jon has collaborated and performed with Wakka Wakka on SAGA, Animal R.I.O.T. and The Immortal Jellyfish Girl. Jon is a graduate of the École Internationale de Théâtre de Jacques Lecoq and holds a BA in theater and neuroscience from Oberlin College. www.jon-levin.com.

Josh Luxenberg / Playwright

Josh Luxenberg is playwright, director, and curator. He is Sinking Ship’s Co-Artistic Director, the Director of the historic Connelly Theater in the East Village, overseeing the revival of the iconic off-Broadway venue. Credits with SSP include: Cassandra, an Agony (J. Paul Getty Museum), The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy (with Theater in Quarantine, a NY Times Critics Pick for the original streaming edition), A Hunger Artist (Connelly Theater, nominated for two 2018 Drama Desk Awards, and winner of Summerhall’s Lustrum Award for Excellence at the Edinburgh Fringe 2017), Powerhouse (New Ohio, O’Neill Playwrights Conference Finalist, NY Times Critics Pick). He has developed work via residency and commission at the Orchard Project, Mercury Store, LMCC, Mabou Mines, Mt. Tremper Arts, The Freight, EST/Sloan, the Getty Museum and others. Josh co-wrote The Dial, an interactive narrative augmented reality installation created by NightLight Labs (Sundance Film Festival 2019). His programming at the Connelly includes Marin Ireland’s Pre-Existing Condition, Kate Berlant’s Kate (directed by Bo Burnham), Sasha Velour’s Nightgowns: The Musical, Will Arbery’s Plano (Clubbed Thumb; Drama Desk-nominated), Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Diaries 2018 (New York Theatre Workshop), The Bengson’s The Lucky Ones, and more.

Joshua William Gelb / Performer

Joshua William Gelb is a theater director, performer, designer, and creative technologist. During the Covid shut-down, Gelb founded the Obie and Drama League Award winning digital performance laboratory Theater in Quarantine, live-streaming dozens of visually distinctive, original projects to its YouTube channel from his closet in the East Village. Gelb has been in residence at NYU Skirball, La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, CultureHub, Theater Mitu, Abrons Arts Center, Ars Nova, UMD, Mercury Store, and is currently a HARP resident artist at HERE Arts Center, where his durational performance, [Untitled Miniature], will premiere in the spring. With Sinking Ship he directed and co-created A Hunger Artist, and has appeared in several works in progress. As a performer Gelb has also appeared regularly in Little Lord productions including Babmif*cker Kaffeehaus and Skinnamarink (NYTW Nextdoor) as well as his own production of Jazz Singer (Abrons Arts Center). Gelb received his MFA in directing at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama where he graduated as a John Wells Fellow. www.joshuawilliamgelb.com

Peiyi Wong / Set and Costume Design

Peiyi Wong is a Bessie Award-winning scenographer and interdisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY.  She designs sets, installations, and costumes for performance and film. With Sinking Ship she designed the set and costumes for A Hunger Artist, and costumes for Powerhouse and There Will Come Soft Rains. With TiQ she was the visual and costume designer for Julia Izumi’s All the Different Ways Commodore Matthew Perry Could Have Died (co-produced w/ New Georges). Additional credits – set design: Public Obscenities (TFANA | Woolly Mammoth), The Whitney Album (Soho Rep, Hewes Award nomination), Weightless (WP Theater), A Good Day to Me Not to You (Waterwell), HOUSECONCERT (Object Collection), A Delicate Balance (Transport Group | NAATCO), SPEECH (Lightning Rod Special), Memoirs of a…Unicorn (NYLA, 2018 Bessie Outstanding Design) – set + costume: The Trial of the Catonsville Nine (Transport Group), MukhAgni (The Public UTR) – costume design: Namour (ARRAY feature film, Netflix). Faculty at Playwrights Horizons Theater School, NYU Tisch.  MFA, CalArts. www.peiyiameliawong.com

Marika Kent / Lighting Design

Jesse Garrison / Video Design

M. Florian Staab / Original Music and Sound Design

Florian Staab is a composer and sound designer based in Brooklyn, NY. Staab was born and raised in Germany and received a BA from Oberlin College and MFA from UIUC/Krannert Center. He is an associate artist with Sinking Ship Productions and teaches at Playwrights Horizons Theater School. His designs have been heard at the Public Theater, Irish Repertory Theatre, Harlem Stage, Trinity Repertory Company, City Theatre Pittsburgh, Center Theatre Group, Mint Theater Company, Pearl Theatre Company, The Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, The Drama League, New Saloon, Chicago Opera Vanguard and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to his theater work, Staab is a recording and mixing engineer and designs sound for narrative fiction podcasts. He recently directed Bill Irwin’s On Beckett / In Screen for the camera.  www.florianstaab.com

Carly Levin / Production Manager & Line Producer